Dancing in the Moonlight
by Lancer1968
Summary: Scott's Ghostly Halloween Tale in the Mining Town of Bodie, California


Dancing in the Moonlight

Summary: Scott's Ghostly Halloween Tale in the Mining Town of Bodie, California

Any and All Disclaimers Applicable

Dancing in the Moonlight by Sherman Kelly

We get it almost every night  
When that moon is big and bright  
It's a supernatural delight  
Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight

Everybody here is out of sight  
They don't bark, and they don't bite  
They keep things loose, they keep 'em tight  
Everybody was dancin' in the moonlight

Dancin' in the moonlight  
Everybody's feelin' warm and bright  
It's such a fine and natural sight  
Everybody's dancin' in the moonlight

We like our fun and we never fight  
You can't dance and stay uptight  
It's a supernatural delight  
Everybody was dancin' in the moonlight

# # #

Mid-October, 1872 – The Lancer Ranch

Murdoch handed Scott the deed to his share of the Bodie Gold Mine near Monoville, California, north east of Lancer about one hundred miles. He had received a letter indicating that gold had been discovery in the mining town, named Bodie for his partner W. S. Bodey, who had died the previous November in a blizzard while making a supply trip into Monoville.

"Scott, take this to his daughter and sign over my interest in the mine, now that she's alone, she can put this to better use than we can. Just get the return of my initial investment of two thousand dollars and we'll call it even," he instructed Scott.

"Are you sure? If it's a working gold mine, don't you want to hold onto your share?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, Murdoch, I mean it's a gold mine," added Johnny. "That we now own a share."

"I'm sure, I gave Will a start-up stake, never expected it would amount to much of anything. Besides, it's too far away for us to work the claim or oversee its operating. No sense in getting legally entangled in far-away investments where we can be cheated and swindled," Murdoch said.

"Scott, make sure you get out of those mountains before the November snows start. It should take you two days riding to get there, a day to get the transaction completed and notarized and two days back," Murdoch reasoned. "Don't hang around and get yourself snowed in. Leave before the first of November."

"Will do," said Scott. "I think I'll turn in now and get an early start in the morning."

"Good idea, son."

"Ya want me ta go with Scott?"

Murdoch shook his head, "No, Johnny, this only requires one of you to handle. I need you here to restock the north and south line shacks for the winter hands. Go into Green River tomorrow and pick-up Lancer's standing winter order of supplies."

"Jelly, can do that," Johnny said.

Murdoch glanced at Johnny, "No, you're handling this. Jelly will be finishing the bundling of the last feed crops to bring to the shed for winter drying."

"Oh, I hear the tune caller, callin' his tunes," drawled Johnny.

Scott grinned at Johnny, "On that note, good-night little brother, do try and keep out of trouble while I'm gone."

Murdoch smiled, "He'll be too busy to get into any of that Scott. Mine, you do the same thing, stay out of trouble."

"I plan to," Scott smiled back.

# # #

Scott was already gone by the time Johnny got downstairs for his breakfast that he shared with Murdoch.

"Murdoch, if I get the line shacks finished by tomorrow, ya want me ta ride out and keep an eye on Scott?" Johnny asked.

Murdoch eyed him, "Johnny, he's a big boy; I think we can depend upon him to take care of business for us and get back before any snow falls."

Johnny sighed, "Okay, ol' man, it's just that I have this feelin' stickin' in my crawl."

"Don't tell me that you went to see that Anna Baral woman with all her crystal gazing," Murdoch said with anxiety.

"No, Murdoch. I did not go see her," Johnny whispered. "It's just a feelin', that I can't quite describe. My stomach is churnin' a bit, my chest hairs are tinglin'."

"Not enough to suppress your appetite," he joshed.

"No, not yet," Johnny said. "It's just a creepy, crawly feelin', that's all."

"Tell you what, you get your chores finished and if you're still feeling all tingling, churning, creepy and crawly, then we'll talk more," Murdoch stated. "Until then, we all have jobs to attend to. Oh and ahhh, Johnny, I forgot to mention that you'll need to start chopping wood for winter. That side shed by the kitchen needs to be fully restocked as does the one outside the great room."

"Thanks, Murdoch," Johnny said as he stood up to face the day.

"Think how much we'll all appreciate it when winter does arrive, chopped wood right outside the doors," smiled Murdoch. "It's nice to have extra hands around to share the burden."

"Anything else before I head out?" Johnny smirked as he buckled his gun belt.

"I'll be sure to let you know."

"Ol' man, I'm sure ya will, see ya," he said as he grabbed his coat and hat and shut the door.

# # #

Scott made respectable time in his journey across the state; he was headed almost to the border of California-Nevada, crossing over some higher elevations that as luck would have it, no snow had yet fallen on the trails, but instead remained in the top peaks of the mountains. "Looks like someone sprinkled powder sugar on top of them," mused Scott as he and Blaze made their way towards their destination.

Daylight was in shorter supply as the Earth rotated on its axis and the northern hemisphere tilted away from the sun's warming rays and lengthen hours of daylight. Scott rode as far as he could, now looking out for any suitable overnight shelter, a town, a barn, a lean-to, even an old stable would do. Finding nothing on his route, he located a small clearing and set-up his camp. A small fire for warmth, his saddle and bedroll and a dinner of cold biscuits and jerky would have to suffice. Checking his compass and map, he estimated, barring any unforeseen barriers, he would reach Bodie before darkness fell the following day.

He added more wood to his fire and drifted off to a night filled with dreams of a warm bed and a hot dinner. "Getting soft Lieutenant Lancer," he mumbled just as he dozed off.

In the morning, he woke with a stiff back from sleeping on the ground but stood up and stretched the kinks out of his body, while coffee heated and he gnawed more jerky. The biscuits were hard as rocks that he tossed away with a mental note to replenish his trail stock before his journey home.

Scott rode with a steady clip, only stopping briefly for water for both him and his horse as well as to give Blaze short rests, he managed to ride into Brady just as the sun was setting and stars were popping out in the darkening skies. Looking around, he wasn't surprised to see that Bodie was quickly turning into a growing boom town; buildings were in various stages of completion. He rode past, a blacksmith's shop, a livery, three saloons; each with a gaming hall attached with lively music spilling out onto the street and a there was at least one mercantile that he notices. He was overjoyed to see that there was a hotel, the Bodie Hotel to be specific across the street from the livery; its downstairs windows were brightly lit.

"What else does one need, right Blaze?" he grinned as he dismounted in front of the hotel. He removed his saddlebags and rifle after hitching Blaze. Stepping up the stairs, he pushed open the door and inhaled the fragrances of new wood, mixed with cigar smoke and hot food.

Scott signed the registry and asked for a room in the back, not knowing how lively the town got at night, which he anticipated it would as miners came in to spend their earnings from their day's wages in the mines. He wanted a hot meal, a hot bath and a good night sleep in that order.

He asked the clerk if there was someone who would stable his horse and gave him five dollars for a private room with a bath and another five for Blaze's care. "Highway robbery," he thought. But Murdoch had told him before, not to quibble over prices, he was after all in a boom town and able to afford room and board for a few nights that he would be there.

"I see that your horse is stabled, Mr. Lancer," Bob said. "Dinner's that way. I'll start hot water for you and bring it up as soon as you halfway through your meal."

"Thank you kindly, Bob. You have guessed correctly, I am hungry, dirty and tired in that order."

"If you're here tomorrow night, there's a fall harvest dance in our ball room," Bob added. "All are welcomed to attend."

"A dance? Now that sounds like a promising diversion," smiled a tired Scott. "Are there enough pretty young ladies in town to go around?"

"Oh yes, you'll be surprised."

"Thank you Bob, but first hot food to fortify the hungry soul," Scott said.

# # #

Scott enjoyed the Shepard pie so much that he had a second serving, which filled up his particular empty stomach. The coffee was strong and hot and the hot apple pie crust was buttery rich with the right amount of cinnamon spices in the filling. He didn't mind paying another five dollars for his meal. "At least prices are consistent," he thought as he finished his coffee.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor and his assigned room 213 and was happy to see that this bath was already in the process of being filled. He shuttered the window shade, turned his bed down, while Bob finished filling the tub with two more buckets of hot water.

"Thank you again, Bob. I feel like I'm almost back home," he said.

"Enjoy, Mr. Lancer, good-night," said Bob as he closed the door. Scott latched the door and did as his brother had advised him; put the chair under the doorknob, especially in a strange hotel in a mining town. No telling what drunk could come stumbling into his room by mistake looking for a woman or his lost bag of gold.

Removing his boots and clothes, Scott sank into the tub and sighed contently. He scrubbed away the two days of trail dust, washed his hair and enjoyed the sensations of warm water encasing his long, lean limbs, without a care in the world…until the temperature of the water deceased and he was forced to get up and dry off. He quickly realized that he had neglected to pack a nightshirt and had the choice of putting on his used shirt, his shirt for tomorrow or sleeping ala his brother's preferred choice, scans clothes.

Shrugging his shoulders, he moved the lamp near the bed, pushed the tub from the middle of the room towards the side of the far wall, where he wouldn't accidentally fall into it if he got up in the middle of the night. He rubbed his face and realized that he neglected to shave the past two days' growth off his face so the sheets wouldn't scratch against his face. Scott rubbed some soap across his face and used his straight razor to remedy the growth from his face before he crawled into the bed and blew out the lamp. Scott was asleep as his head landed on the pillow.

# # #

Sunlight appeared along the edge of Scott's window frame, where the shade didn't quite cover the entire frame, he woke with an abrupt start, whether it was from sleeping in a strange room, sleeping naked or from such as sound night's sleep he was slightly disorientated. Looking down he realized that he should probably put his clean drawers on, which he was surprised that he forgotten about last night. "Not like me," he said as he splashed cold water from the basin on his face. He stared at this reflection and decided that a quick shave really wasn't necessary, but he decided since he had the time to go ahead and make the effort for Miss Bodey. "Who knows perhaps she's a raving beauty and I would have missed the mark, had I not made this small effort to be completely presentable," he said to his reflection.

Shaved, dressed and completely presentable, Scott buckled his gun belt on, picked up his jacket and hat and headed downstairs for breakfast before finding the elusive Miss Bodey.

Breakfast was as satisfying as his dinner had been. "My compliments to the cook," he told Pearl, who was his server last night and again this morning.

"That would be me," she said as she refilled his coffee cup.

"Thank you again, it was delicious. If you don't mind, I'm in town to find Miss Bodey. Could you please direct me to her resident"?

"Emma Bodey?"

"I'm sorry; I don't know her first name. Her father and my father were business partners. My father wants me to meet with her to offer our condolences for her father's passing. He got a letter from a Mr. Elwood Hartley about the news."

She paled considerably, "Let me direct you to his office, he's the town magistrate and would be the best person to assist you in your quest."

"Thank you, ma'am. Where is his office?"

"Three buildings down on the other side of the street, a red brick building with the shingle "Assayer" hanging outside."

"He does both?"

"Yes, Bodie is growing but we're not that large yet. A lot of us do double-duty as most of the able-bodied men are in the mines all day."

"Thank you again, ma'am, much obliged."

# # #

Back on Lancer, Johnny couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right. He pushed himself as hard as he could to get his chores concluded. Even as he spilt wood, he felt cold chills run up and down his spine, even as his shirt was drenched in sweat from chopping wood and stacking it as quickly as possible. He didn't mind missing chow if it meant gaining extra time by pushing on through to complete his chores.

As soon as he finished stacking the last piece of wood that he could fit in the sheds, he changed out of his work shirt, grabbed his trail gear, his rifle, saddled and mounted Barranca.

"Jelly, I'm goin' after Scott," he announced as Jelly watched how quickly Johnny was saddling his horse.

"Why?"

"Now, don't ya start on me, Jelly. I have ta go; something about Scott in that town is gnawin' at me. I see ya in a few days," he wheeled Barranca around to hit due east. Johnny had also saddled a second horse that he held it's reins in his right hand, while he guided Barranca with his left. He planned on traveling fast and hard to reach Scott and the foreboding feelings he couldn't shake. With two horses, he could switch them to travel further than with just one horse, bearing all his weight.

"But what will I tell your pa?" Jelly shouted after him.

"Tell him. I'm goin' after my brother," he shouted over his shoulder.

# # #

Scott strolled down the boardwalk towards the assayer office. He opened the door where an over the door bell announced his presence.

"Be right with you," came a voice from the rear of the building. "Put your bag of dust on the scale."

From the back office, a short man emerged with his shirt sleeves rolled up and wearing arm bands to keep them in place and a small visor on top of his balding head.

Scott shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry, I have no bag of dust for you, Mr. Hartley. I'm Scott Lancer and was directed to you by Pearl at the hotel, to find the resident or whereabouts of Miss Emma Bodey."

"Oh, I see. You've come not for my assayer duties but for my magistrate duties. How can I be of serve to you Mr. Lancer?"

"It's Scott, Mr. Lancer; my father is at home near Morro Coyo. He sent me here to meet with his former partner's daughter to sign over his interests in the mine that they co-own."

"Co-own? I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage sir. Mr. Bodey never mentioned this to me and I've handled all of his affairs since he discovered the gold mine."

"Be that as it may be, Mr. Hartley. This was sudden news to me as well. Didn't you send the letter to my father, Murdoch Lancer letting him know that Mr. Bodey had passed away last November?"

"Yes, I mailed the letter, last November but I never imagined that W.S. had any silent partners. Why is your father just now dispatching you to come here, it's been almost a year."

"That's a long story, Mr. Hartley. Suffice it to say, my father was injured last year himself. Your letter must have been waylaid in the meantime. Anyway, according to my father, he was a financial backer rather than a full-fledged working partner. Let me assure you, that my father has no interest in owning a gold mine this far removed from our home. We have our hands full with caring for our spread and stock. Truly, if you would direct me to Miss Bodey, we will need your services to notarize the transaction and that should be all there is to it," Scott said, growing a tad edgy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lancer, Miss Bodey died last year on Christmas evening," he said turning colorless.

"What?"

"Well, at least we believe it was Miss Bodey," he stammered.

"You believe it was her?" Scott questioned.

"Please, sit down, let me pour you a drink," Mr. Hartley said. "I'll tell you what I know."

"It's a bit early for a drink, isn't it?" Scott questioned with an odd expression etched upon his face.

"Trust me; you'll be glad you had at least one." He reached into the desk drawer and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of rye, which he uncorked with a resounding pop to fill the glasses.

# # #

"We actually had never meet Miss Bodey before, and her father didn't have so much as a photograph of her when we searched his cabin at the mining camp. We believe that she lived in Reno, purely based on something her father had said at one point. So last year after W.S. died, a woman checked into the hotel. She came alone, arriving by a freight stage and claimed that her father was a prominent judge, who would be arriving soon to meet her. Joe showed her to room 213, where she stayed until the grand ballroom was opened later that evening. We know that W.S. did a lot of different trades in his life, so it's possible that he had been a judge, elsewhere, we just don't know for certain."

"Anyway, as the music began to be tuned up," Mr. Hartley said. "Musicians rosined up their bows, and as soon as that first note struck, this beautiful young lady glided down the staircase and she came into the ballroom, where she captivated everyone that was in her effervescent presence."

"She joined in the very first dance and then the second one and the third, as all the men in the room lined up to capture her attention. She never sat down, danced every dance, telling one of the men it was the happiest night of her entire life. She danced with man after man, and from her glowing smiles seemed to be completely enjoying the night to its fullest. As the music grew louder, she continued to dance and no one noticed any problems...just a much sought after dance partner that was passed from man to man in quick succession."

"As her last dance partner swept her around the dance floor, he noticed that she didn't seem quite as lively and excited as she had earlier in the evening. He glanced down at her face and discovered that the gorgeous young woman was dead in his arms. Naturally, he panicked and screamed, which ended the music as everyone gathered around him and the young girl to see what had happened."

"Joe and Pearl, the owners of the Bodie Hotel waited a week for someone to come to identify the body, but no one has ever come forward. So they searched her room and the only things that were there in the small trunk was the dress that she wore when she arrived in town, "Mr. Hartley said. "There wasn't anything else inside that trunk or her travel bag. No journal, no diary, no ledger, nothing to tell any of us who she was or where she came from. And no one else has come forward claiming to be W.S.'s daughter, family member or heir to his gold mine."

"And so it was that instead of burying her in the cemetery in the hills, we decided to bury her on the back of the hotel property near a large tree, with a marker that commands respect by all who visit her resting place:

"Unknown - Hallowed and Hushed be the place of the dead; step softly, bow head."

"Until one night, during a full moon, another hotel guest walked near the gravesite and told her friends she had encountered a ghostly form. When the contour approached her and asked, "Can you help me please? You see, I was last dancing at the Bodie Hotel with a handsome man and I've lost my way and can't find my father,"" Hartley said.

"The woman said to the ethereal presence, 'Oh, my dear, don't you know? You died in the arms of your dancing partner at the Christmas Eve dance, last year."

"And with that news, the figure began sobbing hysterically and disappeared - the figure described matches perfectly to the young lady who danced herself to death. Now she's seen every full moon and for certain at every dance, dancing in the moonlight, twirling to music only she hears."

Scott poured another drink, which he sipped slowly. "So no one really knows if this apparition is Miss Bodey or not?"

"No, not for certain," Mr. Hartley said. "We ran ads in several newspapers looking for information but you are the only person to come forward asking about her."

"That would explain why Pearl clamed up and told me to see you," Scott said as he sipped his rye.

"Yes, it would be why," he agreed.

"So, who has control of the Mr. Bodey's mine?"

"I do. I hire the miners and pay them a portion of what is dug out, put half of what is left from wages and overhead into an account for Bodey's beneficiaries if any ever come forth. I keep the other half for my efforts," said Hartley.

"I see," Scott reflected. "We'll far be it from me to barge into your arrangement. All my father wants is a buy-out for his initial financial backing, two thousand dollars and to sign over the property, all nice and legal."

"That's more than fair," agreed Mr. Hartley.

"Well, my father is a fair and honorable man. I'm sure he'll be disappointed to hear the news of Miss Bodey."

"Maybe you'll meet her this evening, if you attend the fall harvest dance," Mr. Hartley said. "It would appear that whoever our ghostly woman is, she's not in any hurry to move along to her internal reward."

Scott stood up, "Mr. Hartley, I have never been an advocate of a spirit world, so if you don't mind, I prefer to look at tangible objects. I would like to take a look at that mine, if you have no objections. Want to cross the "t's and dot the "i's so my father doesn't believe that I was in anyway derelict in my duty to closing the books on this piece of property."

"Say young fellow," he replied looking at this watch, "It's almost eleven, why don't I join you for a meal at the hotel and I take you out to the mine afterwards? It's about an hour south of here, so we may as well go fortified before we venture out."

Scott acquiesced to his plan. He would have preferred going now to satisfy his inquisitiveness about the output of the gold mine. He had no good reason to not believe this man, but Johnny had cautioned him to pay attention to any standing hairs on the back of his neck, his were at full attention. He wondered if the ghost story had anything to do with this reaction. It was obviously a made-up story to keep fearful strangers at bay. But he was curious as to why both the mysterious lady dancer and he had both been assigned room 213 at the hotel.

# # #

Murdoch looked at Jelly, "Johnny's gone after Scott?"

"That's what he told me to tell you, boss," Jelly answered.

"I guess he couldn't shake his premonition," Murdoch murmured. "That boy…"

"Yeah, he makes a body wanna carry a rabbit's foot for good luck. Looky, here now I got goose bumps," Jelly said as he shivered.

"Hogwash, Jelly. Don't you start that nonsense again," Murdoch grumbled.

# # #

Johnny had easily picked up Scott's trail and he rode hard on the open fields to make up as much time as he could. He figured that he would reach him the next day mid-afternoon at the very earliest, as long as there was enough light to track him by, he'd get started at first light and ride hard tomorrow too.

He wished that he understood what was troubling him so much.

# # #

Scott and Mr. Hartley enjoyed their lunch that Pearl had prepared of collard greens, corn bread and roasted pork with fried apple slices.

"You are going to fatten me up," Scott said as he patted his filled belly. "That was enormously delectable. If I could entice you away from here to cook at my home, I would certainly do so, Pearl."

"Why thank you Mr. Lancer, we aim to please our guests. How do you like your room?" Pearl inquired.

"Most comfortable bed I've slept in for days," he admitted. "Now Mr. Hartley, can we go see this gold mine?"

"Sure, Scott, I'll go saddle my horse and bring yours over from the livery as well. Give me fifteen minutes to lock-up my office and I'll meet you back here, out in front."

"Fair enough, I think I'll take a stroll in the back garden area and pay my respects to…well, I don't know if she's Miss Bodey or not, but I'll certainly pay my respects to the poor girl. I'll be out front waiting for you to return."

Scott was aware that an odd look had passed between Hartley, Pearl and Joe in the lobby before he walked the length of the hotel and out the far back door into the noon sunlight. He noticed the marker, standing in the far corner of the lot with a fresh bouquet of flowers resting upon it. Scott walked closer to read the inscription. It was a simple wooden marker with a cross chiseled at the top of the inscription:

UNKNOWN  
Hallowed And  
Hushed Be The  
Place Of The Dead  
STEP SOFTLY,  
BOW HEAD

"Simple but effective," Scott uttered as he realized that Pearl was standing nearby. "It's a shame; no one has claimed her as their kinfolk. But then again, if she was Mr. Bodey's only kin, it does make perfect sense that no one has reported her as a missing person. How old would you say she was, Pearl?"

"Could have been 20, or maybe 25," she said. "I come out here every few days to replace the flowers."

"That's very kind of you," Scott said.

"Small price to pay for a drop of human kindness, Mr. Lancer," she uttered. "I hope one day someone returns the favor to me or my Joe."

Scott and Pearl walked back inside the hotel and he went out front entrance to wait for Mr. Hartley to return from the livery with their horses.

# # #

Small talk abated as they rode to the gold mine, where upon arrival, Scott was surprised at the level of activity that was going on with the work crew. In his head he quickly counted at least twenty miners working at the four sluice channels built to separate the gold from the other deposits. He noticed that a track came out of the mouth of the mine where two heavy metal carts were holding the mine's deposits, waiting to be worked. Quickly accessing the area, Scott ascertains that there had to be at least ten more miners digging the deposits out of the mine. This wasn't a small operation taking place. Scott dismounted and tied Blaze to a nearby tree, as did Mr. Hartley.

"How profitable is this mine, exactly, Mr. Hartley?"

"I was hoping that you wouldn't ask that particular question, Scott. But in answer to your question, the miners brought to the surface approximately three point one million dollars within the last year."

"Ahhh, I wondered about that look that passed between you and the hotel owners. My guess is that is indeed Miss Bodey in that grave. What did you do to her?"

"Honestly, we did nothing, the story I told you about her passing is entirely the truth. The doctor said her heart just gave out. Shame too, she was quite an attractive girl, would have made me a fine wife."

"A wealthy wife, one that you could control her money and her gold mine," said Scott. "And now you do. So what are your plans for me?"

"An unfortunate mining accident, while you were touring the mine, would work, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think that will work, you can't forge my signature of the deed that would convince my father or my brother that I had signed it. They will investigate and they will learn the truth."

"I'll take my chances about that. Now drop your weapon, slowly," he instructed as he pulled his weapon out and held it towards Scott."

"In front of all these witnesses too, Mr. Hartley. That's rather sloppy, don't you think?"

"They all work for me so shut-up and get into the mine and keep walking until I tell you to stop."

Scott slowly walked inside the mine to allow his vision to adjust to the change from lightness to darkness. He looked around for something that he could use as a weapon to fend off the man, who was walking at least six paces behind him. He noticed that there were torches every twenty or so feet to illuminate the pathway along the metal track that was used to move those heavy carts, laden with tools, men and product.

"Why are you doing this? I told you that my father wanted to sign the property over to its rightful heirs for two thousand dollars."

"You think any man, is going to turn down the chance to their share of this money?"

"My father would," Scott said. "He doesn't want to be bothered with something so far away from our home."

"So you said, but three point one million dollars has a way of changing anyone's view point."

"You don't know Murdoch Lancer and that his word is his bond," Scott said.

"Sorry Scott, this will be the end of the line for you, but if it's any consolation to you, we'll bury you next to Miss Bodey."

Scott scoffed, "Not in the slightest."

"Can't be helped, if and when anyone shows up looking for you, all we have to tell them is that you were here but departed. A lot of people go missing on back trails through the hill country during the winter months. Not discovered until the spring thaw."

"Ohhh, I gather that's what happened to W.S. Bodey too? You had a hand in that?"

"Enough, stop where you are."

"You going to back shoot me?"

"Nope Scott, you're going to jump."

Scott glanced down at his feet at the cavernous dark hole in the ground which he had no way to see how deep the hole was. He took his chances to rush at the older, shorter and heavier set man, taking him by surprise as he knocked him to the ground, along with his weapon. Scott tried reaching for the gun but in the darkness it was impossible to pinpoint its location. Both men struggled on the ground, rolling and throwing punches, trying to gain leverage, when suddenly Scott was struck on his head with a wooden board, that he heard spilt in two before he blacked out.

"Toss him down there and board it over," ordered Hartley.

"I don't cotton to killing anyone," said the miner.

"Do you cotton to swinging from a rope?" Hartley asked.

"No, reckon not, when you put it like that."

"Then do as I say. He's not coming out of the hole alive. Got it?"

"Yes."

# # #

John woke with a gasp of breath and mounted Barranca as quickly as possible. Cold breakfast of canteen water and beef jerky would have to do. He dreamt that his brother was in a dark place with no way out and that he needed him.

# # #

"Scott wake-up! Scott wake-up!" came a trembling voice that jostled Scott to listen closely. He didn't recognize the voice, it wasn't Murdoch or Johnny or Jelly or even Teresa, it sounded like it vibrated off this dark, dank prison.

He had woken with a splitting headache, and felt dry blood at the base of his head. He knew that he was down the hole with pitch blackness engulfing him. He blinked his eyes in hopes that it would help him make anything out, but sadly, not even his hand held to his nose could he make out the shape of his fingers. "This is hopeless," he heard his head churn.

"Do not panic, Scott. Do not panic. Get a hold of your emotions. Think," the wobbly voice encouraged him. He had to wonder if this was how his own voice sounded to him in this dark space.

Scott felt the ground around him, searching for a wall to lean his back against. He scooted his backside slowly in reverse until his back was firmly pressed again the wall that he had known had to be there. Searching his pockets he found a coin that he pressed into the dirt wall on its edge above his head. Feeling to his left and then to his right, hoping for an air draft or another shaft, there wasn't any. He reached back into his jacket pocket and found a bandanna that he folded into a suitable bandage which he wrapped around his head wound to put pressure on it hoping that it would alleviate the pounding and the feeling of nauseous.

Taking in a few deep breaths to test the air quality, he realized that he had plenty of air. He figured that they would leave him here to starve to death, or lack of water, or even exposed to the elements. "Not how I plan to go," he told himself with determination.

With the coin as his indicator of his starting point, Scott continued to scooted his backside, figuring he covered four inches per scoot to his right, hugging the wall to determine if this was a square, oval or circle that he was in. He soon ascertained that this was a circle as there were no edges and sadly no other opening around the dirt wall.

"Do not panic, Scott. Do not panic. Get a hold of your emotions and think," repeated the trembling voice, prompting him to touch his mouth. He hadn't opened his mouth. Where was this voice coming from?

"Stop and think what do you have in your pockets?"

He realized that he had at Johnny's recommendation had added a boot knife inside his right boot. "Thank you brother," he whispered. Now he knew without doubts that he wasn't the one who had been speaking out loud.

"Use the knife to dig footholds up and out of here," he said to himself. He felt for his knife and was relieved that it had not fallen out during the struggled and his fall into this pit. He knew he smiled.

"There you go Scott, survive, get out of here. You don't belong in the ground yet. Don't you dare join me."

Scott shook his head, "It couldn't be. Emma?" he asked.

"Emma? Are you with me?"

"Yes, Scott, I am here to help you."

"Am I dreaming?" he asked.

"No, now dig, but go slowly, you have lost blood, don't work too fast and get dizzy. You cannot pass out."

Scott shook his head again. "Okay, I'm delusional," he thought.

"No, you're not," replied the voice to his unspoken thought.

Scott worked at his footholds, deciding to dig out square slots large enough for both his feet to rest while he dug above his head, like rungs on a ladder, spacing them by feel at least eight inches apart as best as he could determine in the total darkness.

# # #

Johnny arrived in Bodie at dusk and searched the livery stable for his brother's horse. Blaze wasn't there. Rather than ask anyone questions, Johnny let his gut guide him to the hotel. His hand held over the counter bell he hesitated ringing it and instead read the guest registry upside down, where he saw Scott's signature and assigned room number 213.

Looking in the direction of the ballroom, music played as many people were gathered for some type of dance. He didn't see Scott and no one had yet to see him milling around the lobby. Johnny stepped behind the counter where he took the manager's key from its assigned slot and climbed the stairs.

Johnny unlocked 213 and pushed the door opened slowly, allowing the hallway gas lamps to shine in the darken room. Not seeing anybody lying in the bed, Johnny stepped inside to strike a match to light the kerosene lamp. The room was empty and none of Scott's belongings were in the room, all the bureau drawers were empty. He got down on all fours and looked under the bed and spied a small button that he reached for. It looked like a button from Scott's brown shirt with a piece of the shirt attached.

"Not like my brother," he mused. Johnny sat on the bed and listened to his guts.

The music drifted from downstairs as he heard his name softly spoken, "Johnny, Johnny go to your brother, he needs your help."

Johnny looked around and saw nothing, he went to the window and rubbed his eyes, out on the lawn, he saw something in the far corner that was a pasty white, floating low above the ground, waving at him. "Madre de Dios!" he said.

"Scott needs your help."

He heard that, this was what he had been sensing for days. "Where's Scott? Where's my brother?" Johnny asked.

"In the gold mine, at the far end of the mine, in a shaft, he's hurt. You must go to him."

"Where's the mine?" Johnny asked.

"South of town," the voice replied. "About an hour's ride."

Johnny closed and locked the door, took the outside stairs down, entered back through the front door, still no one behind the counter, as he returned the key to its slot and rode off.

The entire time that he rode in the direction of the mine, a full Hunter's moon, the largest he had ever seen in his life offered him enough light to guide him on the pathway. He got to the mine before the hour's time ebbed away. Pausing he checked for any guards.

He noticed that they were two who were approaching him with their rifles pointed at him.

"Stop! What are you doing here?"

"Hey fellas, I got myself turned around here. I'm looking for the town of Bodie, am I close? Been riding in circles for the last two hours," Johnny said, trying to remain cool, calm and collected. "Do ya mind if I get down and stretch my legs? Lost all feeling in my rump."

"Go on, slowly, no sudden moves," one of them said.

"Ya mean like this?" he asked as he turned around to face them with his pistol whipped out.

"Toss the rifles, boys as far as you can towards the side nearest you and no one gets hurt," he directed as he waited for them to follow his direction. "Now the pistols use your opposite hand, the thumb and the index fingers only, toss them away. That's it," he nodded in approval as they did as they were told to do.

"Are you two the only ones not in the dance in town?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now I want you to take my rope, and those two torches from over there. Let's go. You're going to get my brother out of the hole he's in. Now! Move it!" The guards stepped into the mine and walked all the way to the back of the mine with Johnny holding his gun.

"Think carefully about makin' any moves on me. In case you're wondering, my name's Madrid, Johnny Madrid and frankly I don't care if ya become notches on my gun, which you will if my brother has been harmed. Got it?"

"Johnny Madrid? I thought you were dead," snarled one of the guards.

"Nope, not by a long shot. But ya will be if you do anything that doesn't meet with my approval. Now get those boards off of there," he ordered them.

"Yo Scott, ya down there?"

JOHNNY!" Scott's voice answered.

"Hold on brother, workin' on gettin' ya out of there, a rope is comin' down. Can ya see enough ta tie it around your waist?"

"I'll figure it out, brother."

"Rope, toss it down ta him and it better not hit him."

"Yessir, Mr. Madrid. We didn't know that he's your brother."

"Does it make any difference when ya stuff someone down a hole whose brother they are?" Johnny asked.

"Let me know when you're ready ta get out of there, Scott."

"Now, Johnny, I'm more than ready."

"Pull him up, nice and easy and don't drop him," cautioned Johnny.

Soon Scott's head appeared and he was lifted out of the opening.

"Brother, it's good to see you," Scott said.

"Ya too, Scott, now sit down over behind me and rest a spell. Ya two, down the hole," he said as he waved his pistol towards them.

"What? You ain't going to leave us down there are you?"

"Why? I heard tell that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Also, I have it on good authority that my brother was pushed down that hole, I'm givin' ya the choice ta climb down with that rope or ya can jump. Get movin', we haven't got all night."

With the guards out of the way, and the rope pulled back up, Johnny tended to Scott, who had several nasty looking bruises; his head had a large know, but no apparent broken bones.

"How did you know?" Scott asked.

"I told ya I had a feelin'. Then some voice guided me ta where ya were."

"You heard her too?" Scott questioned.

"Heard something. Come on let's get ya out of here. Do ya think ya can ride, at least back ta Bodie?"

"We need to be careful, Johnny. That voice, that spirit, that apparition we experienced was Emma Bodey. And this mine is a very lucrative gold mine business for others, not the Bodey family or for Lancer either. There are several people in Bodie involved in a scheme to keep the gold. Starting with the assayer/ magistrate Elwood Hartley, as crooked as they come and responsible for me being shoved into that hole."

Johnny scoffed, "Local officials usually are the worst kind of corruption. Who else is involved?"

"My guess? The entire town seems like everyone is getting a piece of the action."

"Well, here's my new idea. Let's bypass the town for now and get ta the next one, where ya can be checked over by a doctor. I thought I saw Blaze out there, and your hotel room was clean as a whistle, except for a shirt button. Let's get out of here before anyone else comes out here ta check."

Johnny had let Scott lean on him, while they made their way to the exit of the mine. Once outside, Scott gulped down fresh air. "Johnny? Am I awake or am I hallucinating?"

"If ya are Boston, I think I might be havin' the same one that ya are!"

"Then you see a girl over there dancing in the moonlight."

"Yup, no music in front of the big ol' bright moon, she's dancin'."

"Well, hell Johnny, after this, I guess I believe in your and Jelly's supernatural delights."

"I told ya, I had a feelin'. Guess that's would have been Emma's doin'. Let's get out of here. We can wire Murdoch ta send in reinforcements ta handle cleanin' up Bodie."

"Bye for now Emma, thank you," Scott said as he watched the apparition continue dancing. "I promise that we will come back and properly mark your grave."

"Bye Scott. Bye Johnny," she waved.

~Fin~

Sun Dancer

Notes:

Bodie Mining Camp:

Bodie did begin as a mining camp of little note following the discovery of gold in 1859 by a group of prospectors, including W. S. Bodey. Bodey died in a blizzard the following November while making a supply trip to Monoville (near present-day Mono City, California), never getting to see the rise of the town that was named after him. According to area pioneer Judge J. G. McClinton, the district's name was changed from "Bodey," "Body," and a few other phonetic variations, to "Bodie," after a painter in the nearby boomtown of Aurora, lettered a sign "Bodie Stables".

By 1879, Bodie had a population of approximately 5,000–7,000 people and around 2,000 buildings. One legend says that in 1880, Bodie was California's second or third largest city, but the U.S. Census of that year disproves this. Over the years, Bodie's mines produced gold valued at nearly US $34 million.

While on a business trip to Lexington I discovered the ghost tale, which I also discovered that the entire state of Kentucky is rich with plenty of regional ghost tales. Our family has always celebrated the month of October with all its fall festivals and things that go bump in the night. I decided to borrow the tale for Scott's benefit. I actually drove to Harrodsburg, which is in the middle of nowhere, but couldn't find the marker and since it's a very small town, I figured they got tired of people asking about it.

The Ghostly Tale of Harrodsburg, Kentucky:

On an unspecified date in the late 1800's, a young woman checked into the Harrodsburg Springs Hotel in the small Kentucky town. She used a false name, and while no one knew her true identity, they recalled that she was beautiful. That night, as music played in the ballroom, the girl came downstairs and began dancing with various partners.

The girl danced and at the end of the night, her final partner realized that the young girl had died in his arms. The staff and guests held a funeral for the girl and she was buried on the hotel's property. The hotel is gone now. It burned down more than fifty years ago, although the grave remains in what is now a public park. There is a metal marker over her resting place that reads "UNKNOWN - Hallowed and Hushed be the place of the dead. Step Softly. Bow Head."

As time has passed, local residents claim that the girl still returns to the site of the hotel.

Harrodsburg, Kentucky is located about thirty miles southwest of Lexington on Route 68 and just a few miles north of the Perryville Battlefield. The city park where the hotel once stood is located in the center of town.

October's Full Hunter's Moon:

Is the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long – visible in the sky at sunset and setting around sunrise the next day. Because the Hunter's Moon rises from the horizon around sunset, it may appear bigger and more orange. This is called a "Moon Illusion" which makes the moon appear bigger than it really is.

Hunter's Moon relates to the Harvest Moon, which is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox. The first full moon which occurs after the Harvest Moon typically occurs in October or November, depending upon when the Harvest Moon is. Hunter's Moon also gets its name from hunters who tracked and killed their prey by autumn moonlight, stockpiling food for the winter ahead.


End file.
